Finnskogen is a vast forested area on the Norwegian/Swedish border. Over centuries Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Romanis and various ethnic groups have travelled over this border area, inflicting the local Finnskogen culture with a wide variety of influences. A young generation hailing from this culturally rich area is now using this heritage as a foundation for its music. The Rusk line-up is a very accomplished one: vocalist Unni Løvlid, violinist Vegar Vårdal and accordionist Frode Haltli are all well-educated performers with several releases under their belts. The Rusk styles are varied and range from serene psalms and moody ballads to energetic dances and up-tempo waltzes. All in all, this is a rich testament of a region’s cultural heritage.

Rusk’s self-titled album has picked up some very positive reviews abroad. Says BBC’s Fiona Talkington: “Løvlid's voice is pure and direct, completely at ease with all the changing moods. Vårdal's fiddling is warm, with just the right amount of edge, and hearing Haltli's accordion playing, well, it's not surprising he's been snapped up for a solo album an the ECM label”.